STANFORD, Calif. - Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Dr. Oleh
Shamshur came to Stanford University on June 15 to lecture and present the
Ukrainian Presidential Medal of Honor to Dr. Robert Conquest.

John Dunlop, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, skillfully moderated
the event that included public policy discussion and a very emotional ceremony.

The Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (CREEES) and
Ukrainian Studies at Stanford University hosted this unique event.

Dr. Shamshur addressed a very enthusiastic crowd of about 120 people
from Stanford and the Ukrainian community with a short lecture titled "Maturing
Democracy: Ukraine after the Orange Revolution" and then graciously
participated in a very lively question and answer period.

As the title of his address indicated, there was a great deal of interest
in the ambassador's thoughts on the Orange Revolution. "The post-Soviet
period of the Ukraine is over," he said, adding that he is convinced
that parliamentary elections in March 2006 which were "the last test
of Ukraine on the road to democracy," demonstrated the support of Ukraine's
voters for the political leaders and parties that worked together during
the Orange Revolution.

Dr. Shamshur emphasized that the government needs time to put into operation
legislative and other reforms to improve standards of living, as well as
to increase foreign investment.

The ambassador pointed to "Judicial reform, which is also one of
the ways to fight the current corruption of the bureaucracy, and bring about
reform in energy production, which will make Ukraine less dependent on imported
gas and oil." He added, "Instead, Ukraine will develop a stronger
nuclear energy program, even if it is a hard decision in the land of Chornobyl.
[Our plans] in the international sphere are to join NATO and to prepare
for joining the European Union."

At the same time, the envoy underlined that maintaining good relations
with Russia is a cornerstone of Ukrainian foreign policy.

Commenting on the relationship between Ukraine and the U.S., Ambassador
Shamshur said that the two countries are working together on the war against
terror, and promoting human rights, fighting organized crime and human trafficking,
and stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Speaking of the business ties between Ukraine and the U.S., he defined
four major areas in which obstacles to closer cooperation and greater investment
have recently been removed: Jackson-Vanik restrictions have been eradicated;
a bilateral protocol was developed, which aids Ukraine's entry into the
World Trade Organization; sanctions imposed in 2000 for intellectual property
rights infringements were lifted; and Ukraine was recognized by the U.S.
as a country with a market economy.

The true highlight of the entire event was the presentation of the Ukrainian
Presidential Medal of Yaroslav Mudryi, named for the Kyivan prince known
as a law-giver and patron of the Church and the arts (early 1000s) to Dr.
Conquest, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, in recognition of his
path-breaking scholarship on the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933 in "Harvest
of Sorrow" (1986).

The medal is the highest honor bestowed by Ukraine. Ambassador Shamshur
extolled Dr. Conquest's lifelong commitment to scholarly focus on this long-ignored
subject.

"For a new democratic Ukraine, you are a real national hero ...
You have done a real outstanding feat for Ukraine. You have done a service
to humanity," Dr. Shamshur underscored. Then, on behalf of Ukrainian
President Viktor Yuschenko, the ambassador asked Dr. Conquest to visit Ukraine
in August for the celebration of Ukrainian Independence Day.

"Ukraine," he said, "needs to know and understand its
history in order to be able to make the right decisions for the future,
and this is why the ground-breaking books of Dr. Conquest are so important
for the developing Ukrainian democracy and its current and future generations
of historians," Ambassador Shamshur concluded.

At the end of the medal presentation, the crowd spontaneously sang "Mnohaya
Lita," wishing Dr. Conquest many years in his endeavors.

Ilja Gruen, a third-year scholar in the Slavic Ph.D. program, escorted
Dr. Conquest, and his wife, Dr. Elizabeth Conquest, to the event.

Dr. Conquest expressed very deep thanks for the honor, which is rarely
presented outside of Ukraine. He posed for many photos and answered many
questions. He and his wife were then presented with the traditional Ukrainian
gift of a wreath of bread and salt.

The Conquests stayed for most of the reception that followed, as did
Ambassador Shamshur and his entourage - all of them participating in very
animated discussions.

Dr. Conquest has received many forms of high recognition for his lifelong
commitment to scholarship on Ukraine. His awards and honors include the
Jefferson Lectureship, the highest honor the federal government bestows
for achievement in the humanities (1993); the Alexis de Tocqueville Award
(1992); the Richard Weaver Award for Scholarly Letters (1999); the Fondazione
Liberal Career Award (2004); and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2005).